Just got a blood, i have a few questions!

Well ive owned several snakes but this is my first python. I picked her up today at my local petco, every weekend we have the local "reptile rescue" ppl come with different snakes and after handling her for a couple weekends i had to get her. Being a rescue i was very weary of her conditions, i asked many many questions before getting her and everything checked out. The only thing they could not really tell me is what species of blood python she was. I dont think shes a Malaysian but if anyone might have any ideas that would be awesome. her cage is at a constant 80 degrees but the humidity is only 40% (i believe it needs to be 60?), any suggestions on how to raise the humidity would be greatly appreciated. Im using cypress bed as substrate. im also posting pics of her cage setup in case anyone sees something that should be changed for her.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/s...mat2011154.jpg
http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/s...mat2011155.jpg
http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/s...mat2011156.jpg
http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/s...mat2011139.jpg
shes in a 20G tank, she is just over 2ft long.

Larger water bowl, Ditch the lamp and cover 80% of your screen lid to hold in moisture and heat.

If you can get a room temp of 83-86 and that is all you need for him without any extra heating required. Id also cover 3 sides of the tank to make the snake more secure rather wide open.


Raising humidity is matter of covering that screen lid and misting the tank daily and keep it minimum 65%. Some keep it higher in the 70%s and thats up to you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Larger water bowl, Ditch the lamp and cover 80% of your screen lid to hold in moisture and heat.

If you can get a room temp of 83-86 and that is all you need for him without any extra heating required. Id also cover 3 sides of the tank to make the snake more secure rather wide open.


Raising humidity is matter of covering that screen lid and misting the tank daily and keep it minimum 65%. Some keep it higher in the 70%s and thats up to you.

---

Thanks! I have background to put on the sides, i was just in a rush to get her out of the bag/box she was in.

Bigger bowl is on the way, the ppl said they havnt seen her bathing but i still got her one that she can fit it.

i misted the cypress bed and its suppose to be one of the best for humity. working on the screen now. Thank you for the suggestions!

I agree with all of the things already mentioned, and will add that she is still small enough for you to use a humid hide if you cannot get her humidity up enough. Just take a plastic rubbermaid container (or sometimes you can get the really big gladware ones) that is a good size for her to curl up in, cut a hole in the side for her to go through, and put some damp sphagnum moss in there. Eventually you are going to want plastic caging, which will make things so much easier. If you can get your humidity stabilized at 65-70% you should be fine..this seems to be where most of my bloods like it.
BTW, that's a nice looking snake..a pretty lucky grab for a rescue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kristan

I agree with all of the things already mentioned, and will add that she is still small enough for you to use a humid hide if you cannot get her humidity up enough. Just take a plastic rubbermaid container (or sometimes you can get the really big gladware ones) that is a good size for her to curl up in, cut a hole in the side for her to go through, and put some damp sphagnum moss in there. Eventually you are going to want plastic caging, which will make things so much easier. If you can get your humidity stabilized at 65-70% you should be fine..this seems to be where most of my bloods like it.
BTW, that's a nice looking snake..a pretty lucky grab for a rescue.

---

Thanks! she is gorgeous. After covering her top screen the humidity is between 68%-71%. With the light on her cage it stays right about 85-86 degrees. When its off it goes closer to 75-77 degrees. Do i need a light or something to keep the temp up at night as well? or will she be ok with those temps for 10-12 hours?

Use a infrared red light so you can keep it on 24/7. Also use a Dimmer or thermostat to keep control of the temps. But defiantly dont want the snake to have no access to heat.

Or invest in a thermostat and heating pad for under the tank. Set it at 85 and have the room temp of about 77 be the cool side temp.

In the future if you want to save up for one, get a radiant heat panel. Mine is coming this week, and then you won't have to worry about lamps drying out the air.

Thanks for all the help! i do have a heating pad but i put it on the side rather than the bottom, my friend had one on the bottom and it almost caused a house fire (the tank will be on a flat level surface and i dont want to worry about the elevation needed to put the pad on the bottom). The heating pad is in a corner and the light is a bit of set on top over the same side as the heat pad to try and make warm/cooler sides of the tank. Im keeping the heating pad on 24/7 as well.

Is there a certain watt infrared that you would suggest for a 24/7 source?

You can build a wooden cage instead of using plastic bins. It holds humidity just as well, just make sure you don't use cedar or pine. I'm upgrading my female to a bigger cage made of birch, it holds humidity very well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cmz1234

You can build a wooden cage instead of using plastic bins. It holds humidity just as well, just make sure you don't use cedar or pine. I'm upgrading my female to a bigger cage made of birch, it holds humidity very well.

---

thanks for the tip! I got her a infrared light and its working well. heres an updated pic of her cage setup. the new water bowl will be here Wednesday.

http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/s...mat2011172.jpg

Looks good!

No offense or anything but if you don't want it to look like hell in there you can get one of the black lights, they still give off light but not as much. It's kind of cool though since it's a blood python! I love them.

Black lights are horrible for heat, the infrared give out no light and awesome heating.

Dont switch your fine way you have it.

Thanks again for all the help guys! its like i have my own personal snake experts at my finger tips! I know a decent amount about snakes but this little girl has a lot more requirements than most, but im absolutely loving it! The infrared is working great. warm side is about 88-89 and the cool side stays shaded 24/7 and about 77-78. humidity stays between 65%-70% depending how long ago i misted the tank. sorry if i have sounded more like a mother of a new born baby than a snake owner but her health and well being is way more important than my pride and ego.

Your hot side is too high. Get that down to 84-86. Bloods dont like hot temps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Your hot side is too high. Get that down to 84-86. Bloods dont like hot temps.

---

will do, ill just take a layer or two off the top and that will make it perfect! cant thank you enough

Regardless of the color, leaving any heat bulb on 24/7 is a fire hazard. They are designed to be on about 12 hours a day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SpiffyYoshi

Regardless of the color, leaving any heat bulb on 24/7 is a fire hazard. They are designed to be on about 12 hours a day.

---

Says who, when used properly they wont harm anything.. Only fire hazzards to morons who use them in wrong way.

I appreciate the fire concern but ive looked a lot into it already. The dome that the bulb is in is not hot at all. i can literally pick up the dome at any part and not have any issues of being burned. the bulb also sits deep inside and does not touch anything. The light/dome is connected into a surge protector too, not the wall. However i know that no setup is perfect and i will continue checking everything everyday to make sure nothing goes wrong on my part.

I don't think it is a fire hazard, but they last longer if used on a lamp dimmer because they aren't running on full power 24/7.

And im reading the box that the bulb came in and it says on the side "Excellent 24-hour radiant source" . Granted i dont trust my snakes life/all of my possessions to a box and still will check daily for issues, but i think its about as safe as it gets.

Why not just get a ceramic? They last for years 24/7 and don't kill the humidity, allowing you to mist less.